Kang Jin-woo stood in the middle of an abandoned movie theater. The only light in the space came from the transparent system screen floating before him, while the "viewers" sent their sarcastic comments in the corner of his vision.
[Viewer Comments]
"Killing in narrow alleys has become routine…"
"We want a dramatic show! Make that detective taste confusion!"
Current Mission: Create a scene that cannot be explained logically.
Jin-woo smiled. He wasn't just looking for a victim; he was searching for the "tool" to provoke Detective Lee Do-hyun. He set his sights on the old security guard—no motive, no logic—just the "randomness" the system worshipped.
The Distorted Canvas
An hour later, the theater had transformed into a surreal scene. Jin-woo didn't merely kill the victim; he used [Steps of Nothingness] to arrange the stage without leaving a single fingerprint—or even a trace on the thick layer of dust covering the floor.
He placed the body in a seated position in the center of the stage and set a cup of hot coffee in front of it, still steaming, along with an open magazine. He wanted it to appear as though time had stopped entirely for the victim.
[Exhibition Scene Completed Successfully!] [Viewer Satisfaction: +15%] [Reward: Negative Skill – 'Evidence Fabrication']
Detective's Intelligence
Detective Lee Do-hyun entered the theater. His face was as stern as always, his eyes scanning the room with sharp focus. He stopped at the entrance to the rows and lit his cigarette while studying the "scene" before him.
— "Sir… this is impossible," said his assistant, examining the floor with a flashlight. "There are no footprints around the body. No signs of struggle. And the coffee… the coffee is still hot! How did the killer enter and leave this quickly without disturbing the dust?"
Do-hyun advanced with measured steps. He bent over the body, not looking at the wounds, but at the placement of the cup.
— "He's challenging our intellect," Do-hyun said in a calm, sharp voice. "This isn't an ordinary random killer. He knows exactly how we search for evidence, and he deliberately hides it in a way that makes us doubt our senses."
Do-hyun pulled out a handkerchief and picked up the small screw that had fallen from the screen moments earlier. — "No fingerprints, no DNA. The place is clean to a suspicious degree. It's as if we're hunting a ghost fully aware of what it's doing."
He suddenly stopped. A strange chill ran down his back. He lifted his head toward the theater's dark ceiling—but saw nothing.
The Silent Challenge
On the upper edge of the cinema screen, Jin-woo crouched, watching Do-hyun struggle to decode the crime.
[System Message]
New Target: The detective has begun realizing that his enemy is not an ordinary human.
Viewer Suggestion: "Next time… make it more personal!"
Jin-woo vanished into the darkness using [Steps of Nothingness], leaving Detective Lee Do-hyun realizing, for the first time, that his new enemy was the greatest challenge of his career.